After rejecting 8th, the Bar opposes 9th Amendment to constitution
Jacqueline Marshalleck
We also asked Marshalleck about the Bar’s position on the Belize Constitution (Ninth Amendment) Bill, which is the new hot button issue in G.O.B.’s saga of controversial bills.
Jose Sanchez
“What is your understanding of the proposed ninth amendment to the constitution?”
Jacqueline Marshalleck, President, Bar Association
“Ahm, I would prefer at this stage not to give my understanding. I don’t want to confuse the issue of my personal views with those of the association. I will say though that the association is looking at it, we’re hoping to have a release come out very shortly sometime during this week and then we move on from there. But the ninth amendment for us is a very, very serious bill and it’s not going to be treated lightly by the association. But I hope we will be able to present some sort of release to the press this week on that bill.”
The Bar’s position on the proposed ninth amendment bill came sooner rather than later in the week. Late this evening, the Bar Association issued a second press release, this one strongly opposing the ninth amendment bill. The Bar rejects the amendment to section sixty-nine, saying that it “removes the constitutional supremacy, which is the bedrock of our constitutional democracy and replacing it with parliamentary supremacy is in direct contravention of the intention of our founding fathers.” As for the proposed change to section two of the constitution, the Bar says that in a democracy, any amendment to the constitution should be subject to judicial review. The release further declares that the attempt to oust the jurisdiction of the courts “undermines the Rule of Law, lays bare the constitutional and judicial protection of our fundamental rights and freedoms and the way we are governed and violates the doctrine of Separation of Powers.” The Bar is calling on G.O.B. to either withdraw the ninth amendment bill in its entirety or amend it to protect the rights of property owners to access the courts.
The police need to arrest barrow for breaking the laws of the country and be trown in jail for being a traitor to his country and people .
Barrow is a dictator that is why he wants these amendments. He needs to be stopped!
Jackie and the Bar Association far more patriotic than Dictator Dean!!! Any word from the Association of Concerned Belizeans? Is Lois going to defend the bar Association’s position, being the patriot that she painted herself whilst the PUP was in power?
viva la revolucion!! let’s see the lawyers take to streets to defend the constitution. It has been done in many other countries..
just read a copy of the Government’s news paper, and they are requesting to shut down this forum, because too much negative things are being said about the Prime Minister Barrow!!!
Freedom of Speech gone!! where will we draw the line..
DEAN OLIVER BARROW IS A DICTATOR,he is using the Belizean people like “baits” for his own enrichment, THE ONLY LAW NOW FOR HIM TO PASSSSSSS IS TO MAKE HIM THE “king of belize”…….we cannot tolerate him any longer we need to save our country NOW BEFORE ITSSSSSSSSS TOOOO LATE.
this is a free country
@Teacher; Lois isn’t worried about anything, she is rubbing her palms together ready to make that $7,000,000 when/if the BSI sale goes through to Baco Atlantida, from lawyer fees. This 9th amendment is simply a sleight of hand, Barrow don’t care if this goes through or not, he knew that this would spark a lot of attention, while the BSI fiasco, goes on the back burner, hoping the sale goes through with not much attention there. Remember, people only have an attention span to pay attention to so much things at once. Also, most people in Belize don’t know is that the banks in this country has most of the lawyers on their payroll; example: you want to fight a bank such as Belize Bank, then you would be wise to know which lawyers to choose.